Stand up paddleboarding is an aquatic experience that is rapidly growing in popularity. Stand up paddleboarding involves employing an oversized surfboard in combination with a paddle for propulsion.
The sport of stand up paddleboarding was created to provide an aquatic activity when surf was down and the ocean surface flat. When combined with paddles, the surfboard could be used without significant wave action. Even when waves increased, those employing stand up maneuvers on paddleboards found that they could execute more interesting twists and turns by using a paddle to steer. Windsurfers became early adopters of stand up paddleboards as they were already comfortable with standing on a board and found stand up paddleboarding an excellent aquatic activity particularly when wind conditions did not provide sufficient propulsion for sailboarding.
There are several types of stand up paddleboards currently available in the marketplace. Rigid stand up paddleboards are made of foam or fiberglass, much like surfboards. Because these products are generally larger than surfboards, rigid boards can be difficult to transport. Placing them atop a moving vehicle, for example, can prove challenging as their surface area can catch wind and destabilize the vehicle. In extreme conditions or when the board is not sufficiently secured to the vehicle, it can fly from the vehicle's rooftop or cargo area and not only be damaged or destroyed in the process but also cause a significant traffic hazard.
Inflatable stand up paddleboards thus represent an excellent alternative to rigid products. Inflatable stand up paddleboards are made of drop stitched material allowing them to be inflated to very high pressures, generally from 12 to 15 psi.
The drop stitch manufacturing process begins by joining two pieces of 500 denier polyester woven support fabric having thousands of fine polyester thread lengths. This base material is made in strips from 5 to 10 feet in width and up to 400 needleheads may be used in the setup. Each needle sews a continuous, evenly spaced thread, back and forth between the two pieces of woven fabric locking them together into an impressively strong unit. Drop stitch sewing machines are complex. For example, when a change is to be made in the spacing distance between the two pieces of woven fabric, it can take over 20 days to remove and replace the required needles.
After stitching, an airtight coating is applied to the outer surface of both sides of the polyester woven support fabric and a sidewall material is then glued to it followed by a wide seam tape glued over each lap seam to create an airtight final product.
Most currently available inflatable stand up paddleboards are similarly constructed, the only difference being the shape of the board and the accessories such as D-rings and foam padding applied thereto. Even though the drop stitch material facilitates high pressures, all currently available boards are plagued by unwanted flex. The heavier the paddler, the more flex. This degrades the user experience forcing enthusiasts to turn towards rigid foam or fiberglass products despite their inherent limitations.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a high pressure inflatable stand up paddleboard having the convenience of an inflatable product while overcoming its limitations.
These and further objects will be more readily appreciated by considering the following disclosure and appended claims.